The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the progress of the
recommendations made by the
Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing, and came
as the Home Office announced proposals to change the way in which
the Mental Health Act is used to protect people suffering a mental
health crisis.

Some of the issues addressed by Victor included the importance
of training, joint working with the NHS, appropriate places
of safety and the roll out of the Met's Vulnerability Assessment
Framework - a tool that has been developed to gather improved
intelligence on vulnerable people coming into contact with the
police, including those with mental health conditions.

During the session, Victor praised the progress made to date,
and reemphasized the need for continued improvement:

"I am satisfied that progress has been made to improve the
experience of people with mental health conditions coming into
contact with the police in London, but there is still a lot to
do.

"The work that has followed the Commission's report, informed by
the recommendations, has no doubt improved the experience of people
coming into contact with the police in London. I would go so far as
to say that lives have been saved through the creation and roll out
of improved training and the introduction of street triage and
liaison and diversion pilots which are a really powerful step
forward."

Victor also pointed out that more needed to be done around the
transportation of people experiencing a mental health crisis to
places of safety, as set out in the
Crisis Care Concordat.

"The Concordat makes a lot of welcome commitments but signing
the Concordat is easy, implementing it is the challenge. I am
concerned, for example, that despite ambulance staff doing a great
job on the ground and demonstrating their willingness to work with
the police, the London Ambulance Service needs more support and
resource from commissioners to meet their commitment to get to
people experiencing mental health issues within the same timeframe
expected for those with physical conditions. When the police are
still moving 70% of people with mental health conditions to places
of safety; unwell people are being excluded from hospitals; and are
still being taken to police cells, its clear more needs to be
done."